Working Group Leaders
Representatives of Brussels-based offices leading the work of the Smart Cities Working Group.
Smart Cities
The objective of the Working Group is to act as a platform to offer early information on priorities and funding opportunities linked to Smart Cities, with a focus on the EU Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. The WG aims to facilitate sharing of experiences and support matchmaking to develop new partnerships and projects. The WG targets the smart city topic from an integrated and holistic approach, addressing issues such as citizen engagement, data-driven policy and smart governance models, while exploring synergies between the areas linked to smart cities as addressed by the ERRIN WGs on Energy and Climate Change, Transport and ICT.
ERRIN Contact
Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
The Smart Cities WG has taken an active role in shaping the Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 - one of the five mission areas under Horizon Europe - and is closely following the implementation of the mission. Visit our dedicated Cities Mission page to learn more about our work on this.
Future Related ERRIN Working Group Meetings
Cities Mission – focus on sustainable urban mobility
The meeting organised by the Transport and the Smart Cities WGs will focus on the proposed mobility strategies in the Climate Cities Contracts and the measures needed to reduce emissions.
Previous Related ERRIN Working Group Meetings
Artificial Intelligence related strategies at local and regional level – ICT WG Meeting
In December 2023, the Council and the European Parliament reached a political agreement on the AI Act, setting out rules for the development and usage of AI in Europe. With AI's growing importance
Policy & Smart Specialisation WGs meeting: Widening in FP10 and impact on cohesion policy post-2027
The topic of widening gathers high attention in the discussions around the next European Framework Programme for R&I, raising questions with the potential to influence not only the Widening sub-
Policy WG meeting: Role of EU Missions in FP10
ERRIN has been closely involved in the design and implementation of the EU Missions since their inception. Missions remain one of the network's priorities and were one of the four main areas of focus
WG Related Events
Policy WG meeting: Kick-starting 2024: Towards R&I and cohesion policies post-2027
The Policy Working Group will kick off 2024 with a meeting offering the latest insights about the work at the EU level towards future R&I and cohesion policies post-2027, as some of ERRIN's priority focus areas for the coming years. The event will take place in person at the ERRIN premises on 30 January from 14:00-15:30, followed by networking coffee until 16:00.
Info Day on Clean Hydrogen Partnership Calls 2024
The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is organising an info day to provide a comprehensive insight into the 2024 calls that will be launched in January.
Low Carbon Cluster: Future projects under the Cities Mission
The Working Groups of the Low Carbon Cluster – Smart Cities, Transport and Energy & Climate Change, are organising a session around project opportunities within the Cities Mission in 2024. The session will take place on 23 January between 15:00-17:10 CET at the House of Dutch Provinces.
Learn. Exchange. Connect - Co-creating responsible energy transitions - RIPEET Final conference
As the RIPEET project is coming to an end, our consortium is happy to invite invite local and regional authorities’ representatives, co-creation experts and researchers to join our sessions on 18 January 2024.
Join the RIPEET Lab: sharing key learnings on stakeholders’ engagement methods
The RIPEET Lab is the closing chapter of the project peer-learning programme where RIPEET's mirrors and pilot territories will exchange good practices. The event will involve RIPEET partners and external stakeholders, focusing on key learnings to replicate stakeholder engagement methods in other contexts and expressing interest in future collaboration opportunities on upcoming calls.
Collaborative Citizen Engagement in the development of Positive Energy Districts
The RESPONSE project is organising its 5th Webinar: Collaborative Citizen Engagement in the Development of Positive Energy Districts (PED) - focused on introducing the topic “Collaborative Citizen Engagement in the Development of Positive Energy Districts” and presentation of RESPONSE activities regarding citizen engagement implemented in Turku and Dijon. The webinar will be held on 16 January 2024 from 12:00 to 13:00 CEST.
WG Documents
Proposal for the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership
Attached is the approved concept for the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership.
ERRIN Input to the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership Consultation
ERRIN provided input to the public consultation to shape the European Partnership on Driving Urban Transitions.
ERRIN Contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities
Please find attached ERRIN's contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities.
ERRIN Draft Contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral Cities
Please find attached ERRIN's first draft contribution to the Mission on Climate Neutral Cities.
Policy Recommendations - Regional R&I Ecosystems: Contributing to a competitive Europe
Going towards FP9, several reports - including the Lamy report - underlined the necessity to address the challenge of turning research knowledge into innovation and growth.
WG Related Content
Apply for the European Green Capital & European Green Leaf Awards 2026
European cities committed to sustainability are encouraged to apply for the 2026 edition of the European Green Capital and Green Leaf Awards before the deadline on 30 April 2024. The Awards promote and reward the efforts of European towns and cities that strive to reduce their impact on the local and global environment, improving the quality of life for their inhabitants.
Partner Search Interreg Europe – Tuscany Region - Exchange of experiences on affordable housing enhancement
Project Title - Affordable Housing Enhancement and Regional Oversight for European Sustainability (HEROES) The project aims to equip authorities with the necessary tools and knowledge to establish a sustainable housing policy that harmonizes public and private efforts within comprehensive planning.
Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027 is out
On 20 March, the Commission adopted the second Horizon Europe strategic plan. The plan sets out three key strategic orientations for the EU's research and innovation funding for the last three years of the programme (2025-2027). Find out what novelties the new strategic plan brings.
23 new Mission Cities awarded the Mission Label
During a dedicated session at the EU Research & Innovation Days, 23 new cities part of the EU Mission on 100 climate-neutral and smart cities were awarded the Mission Label for their plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. ERRIN is pleased to see that 15 cities are located in ERRIN member regions.
Express your interest in the 3rd Interreg Europe call via the ERRIN Project Development Tool
Interreg Europe's 3rd call for proposals, launched on 20 March, supports interregional cooperation projects addressing common regional development challenges. Organisations can use the ERRIN Project Development tool to express interest and find partners. The call is open until 7 June 2024.
Coventry University Open for MSCA PF Fellows
Marie Skłodowska Curie (MSCA) European Postdoctoral Fellowships - If you are looking to grow in your research profile, keen to boost your career prospects and ready to be part of our thriving research environment, Coventry University invites you to get in touch about suitability for the following MSCA postdoctoral European fellowships at our Coventry campus.
Latest Updates
- By Ewa Chomicz
Management Board elections 2023 – results
Following the call for nominations for ERRIN Management Board held between 20 September and 5 October, we are happy to announce the nominated Management Board members. The five nominees will be approved as new Management Board members at the ERRIN Extraordinary General Meeting on 16 November.
- By Rodolphe Doité
Release of LORDIMAS, a digital maturity assessment tool for Regions and Cities
During the European Week of Regions and Cities 2023, a dedicated session was organised to launch LORDIMAS, a digital maturity assessment helping local and regional governments to understand where they are in their digital transformation journey. The tool is now accessible online.
- By Agnieszka Wieczorek Jetha
ERRIN at the EWRC 2023
The European Week of Cities and Regions (EWRC) has come to an end. This year’s edition has been particularly rich in ERRIN’s involvement, with the Secretariat co-organising four events, promoting projects, and the Working Group Leaders participating in several panel discussions.
- By Heidi Johansson
Smart Cities WG: Call for new leaders
The Smart Cities Working Group is looking for two new co-leaders to join Turku-Southwest Finland, Cities Northern Netherlands and Stavanger in steering the WG activities and priorities. The deadline for expressing interest in this role is 16 November.
- By Gianpiero Petruzziello
Ten European cities awarded with the EU Mission Cities Label
On 12 October, the European Commission awarded the first ten European cities with the Label of ‘EU Mission Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities’ for their plans to achieve climate-neutrality by 2030. The EU Mission Label symbolises a crucial milestone, not only recognising the comprehensive plans of these cities to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 but also serves as a catalyst for facilitating access to both public and private funding to support these ambitious goals.
- By Gianpiero Petruzziello
Multi-stakeholder engagement showcases the path to climate neutrality at European Week of Regions and Cities
On 10 October, a collaborative and interactive event was jointly hosted by ERRIN, MOSAIC and the European Commission during the European Week of Regions and Cities. This session brought together experts and stakeholders from across Europe to explore the significant role of multi-stakeholder engagement in advancing the journey towards climate neutrality for European cities.